Sunday, April 30, 2006

al Jazeerareported that Israel has shelled the northern Gaza Strip with artillery fire, wounding seven Palestinians, including two children.

The Israeli did not deny the terrorist action but arrogantly responded that the shelling was in retaliation for rocket fire overnight on Friday, adding that four rockets coming from the area had exploded in Israeli territory but did not cause any casualties.

Now ask any military bloke whether any professional army artillery would simply shell an objective that has no military relevance. Shelling the Palestinians purely in retaliation for some rocket fire without identifying the location of the source of rocket fire is simply bloody minded punishment. In real terms, it’s an act of pure terrorism, carrying an intimidating message to the Palestinians that the Israelis would shell their side if there is rocket fire again.

So the children-killing Israeli military are now leading 7 – 0. When one of the Palestinian groups retaliated with a suicide bombing, because they have no artillery or jet fighters or tanks, the World condemns the act.

I want to hear the World, particularly the USA, UN and Europe condemn Israel for indiscriminately wounding 7 Palestinian civilians, including the 2 children. But I won’t hold my breath waiting for that.

I am not sure whether former Menteri Besar (state premier) of Kedah, Sanusi Junid, had read my posting ;-) but he has since came out to tell foreign minister Syed Hamid not to teach grandfather how to suck eggs, meaning Syed Hamid had the bloody nerve to lecture Dr Mahathir, the man who picked him to be the foreign minister.

Rough translation: He [Syed Hamid] said because [Mahathir] didn’t agree [with the cabinet] decision, he shouldn’t raise emotional stuff to split the unity of the Malaysian people ... Could it ever be Dr Mahathir wanted to split the unity of the Malaysian people?

Rough translation: When [former DPM] Tun Ghafar Baba passed away, I didn’t cry at his grave site, but I cried because I failed to save him from being toppled in 1993.

Sanusi was referring to the time when Anwar Ibrahim stood for the position of deputy president UMNO, challenging and ousting the incumbent Ghafar, who was then also DPM.

Sanusi related that Anwar received lots of nomination for the party's deputy president position whilst Ghafar had only 7 nominations. Because of this, as I blogged previously, Ghafar saw the writing on the wall and withdrew from the UMNO party contest in 1993, surrendering his post to a new rising star in Anwar Ibrahim.

What staggered Sanusi Junid was, as he confessed, the pitiful sight of a then unwanted Ghafar Baba left walking around aimlessly, pathetically holding a paper bag. Should this be how a party like UMNO treat one of its former leader?

Rough translation: We are just a wee too hasty to befriend the enemy while equally hasty to reject a friend as a foe …

I wonder whether he was referring to some top UMNO personalities who are very close with the Singapore government, and that those foreigners had been treated with better consideration than Dr Mahathir?

The New Straits Times has reported that Ong Boon Hua, who has been denied entry into Malaysia, has given the Malaysian Government one month to respond to his application to return to this country, or he would take his case to the International Court of Justice and European Court of Justice.

Incidentally, in case you are wondering who the hell this Ong Boon Hua is, well he’s none other than Chin Peng, the former leader of the now-dismantled Communist Party of Malaya. His counsel Darshan Singh Khaira, issued this warning to the Malaysian authority and gave it till May 28 to respond.

Some years ago, following a negotiated peace settlement between the CPM and the Malaysian authorities, the communist insurgents renounced it armed struggle against the government of Malaysia, while in return they were promised settlement back in Malaysia as the citizens they have always been (though partaking in illegal armed activities against the state for years).

However, many in the Malay community have objected to the resettlement agreement for Chin Peng, a man they still view as an enemy who had been responsible for the deaths of Malay soldiers.

However, some Malays who were members of the CPM have been allowed as per the peace agreement to settle down nicely within the Malaysian community. Their resettlements have met with no objection from the public. All Chin Peng wanted is probably to die in peace in his home town of Sitiawan. He is no longer a threat to the security of Malaysia, as evident by the fact of his former CPM Malay colleagues being allowed to re-settle in the country.

In this shameful display of double standards the antagonism towards Chin Peng seems to be one of racism (against his Chinese-ness) rather than his insurgent activities. I have blogged before on how Malays view Chinese Malaysians with great suspicion as potential communists, principally because of their Chinese-ness in Anti-Terrorist Racial Profiling - Aussie Law Rules!.

Actually many Malays aren’t aware that Chinese Malaysian armed forces and police personnel had not only participated in the war against the Communist insurgents but some perished as well. I would dare say the critical factor for our victory against the communists had been the sterling role in intelligence by the Police Special Branch, then staffed mainly by Chinese Malaysians – you know, the old ‘fight fire with fire’, thus fight Chinese communist with Chinese SB officers.

Two Chinese Malaysian Special Branch inspectors were awarded the nation’s highest gallantry honours, the Sri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) (Warrior of Extreme Bravery), akin to the British Victoria Cross or the US Congressional Medal of Honour. They are former Superintendent Paul Kiong and Deputy Superintendent Sia Book Chee.

In 1981, they were then inspectors with the Special Branch in Ipoh. Both infiltrated the CPM who were operating in the deep jungle. The official records have them capturing the terrorists alive as well as engaging in direct confrontation with them. But more closer to the truth, those in the know said they lived and operated with the CPM for a couple of years, sending back first hand intelligence and basically sabotaging the CPM's operations.

To the communists these two heroes were really the musuh dalam selimut - translated literally as enemy under the blanket or more correctly, the authority's deep cover agents within the CPM. They deservedly won their gallantry awards, not through one mad adrenalin-packed rush up the hill blazing away with their weapons, but through a horrendous nerve-wrecking life (for nearly two years) with the insurgents - eating, sleeping, operating, talking and breathing with them, when at any point they could have been discovered and mercilessly executed if not tortured. What state of agonies and apprehensions they would have undergone?

Kiong was additionally awarded Perak s highest bravery award in 1988 for three other operations. He retired as a superintendent in 1997. Sia retired and became a practising lawyer. If one were to rate warriors of valour, put these two among the very top.

An old timer told me that the Panglima Gagah Berani (or more commonly known as the Pingat Gagah Berani or Pahlawan Gagah Berani) (PGB), deemed perhaps as the No 2 medal of valour was also awarded to Second Lieutenant David Fu Chee Ming of the 4th Battalion Royal Rangers.

Like the two inspectors he was operating in hotspot Perak, to track and destroy the enemy in his sector of operation. On 27th August 1970, his platoon of 24 men made contact with a group of about 70 communist insurgents. Thus started a heavy and intensive battle lasting 7 hours. Under his unwavering leadership, the men fought on, successfully killed 4 of the enemy. His patrol did not suffer any casualties.

The same old timer also told me two TUDM (Royal Malaysian Air Force) pilots, Lt Chang Tatt Min and Lt Choo Yoke Boo were also awarded, sadly, posthumously, the PGB for their dedicated and valiant participations in the mid-1970s in a heavy campaign near the Malaysian-Thai border against the insurgents. They perished in that campaign.

If you read how Malaysiakini reader Ishak Abd Rahman warned Chinese Malaysians, in response to the recent complaint by MCA MP Loh Seng Kok's about our nation’s historical revisionism which I posted in MCA MP warned by UMNO and PAS!, you would wonder either how fast he forgets or how little he knows about his nation’s history!

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Malaysia’s most notorious terrorist Noordin Top - especially after his bomb expert colleague Dr Azahari bin Husin was killed recently – is a leading member of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah, which has very close links with al-Qaeda. Noordin had evaded the fatal fate of Dr Azahari when Indonesian police surrounded their hideout in Java.

While his killed partner was the demolition man, Noordin was the master mind, chief recruiter and financial controller. He is the top SE Asian terrorist wanted by a number of countries for his murderous activities involving a string of bombing attacks in Indonesia, including the Bali bombings in 2002 that killed 202 people, a hotel in Jakarta in 2003, outside the Australian embassy in the capital in 2004, and at restaurants in Bali in 2005.

Well, Noordin has just evaded another police trap in Indonesia. The Indonesian police surrounded a house thought to be Noordin's hideout in Binangun, a village in Central Java, 375km southeast of Jakarta. They had been monitoring the suspected hideout for months.

Anton Bahrul Alam, the deputy national police spokesman, said: “We attacked them but they were fighting against us using M-16s. So there were exchanges of fire."

He said that two of Noordin's men were killed and two captured, but Noordin again sneaked through.

As I have blogged these past couple of weeks, Matthias Chang, Mahathir’s former political secretary, had accused foreign minister Syed Hamid of giving 'bad advice' to Abdullah over the bridge issue. Chang had even insulted him as being incompetent, calling for his resignation.

I disagree with Chang that the true issue had been Syed Hamid providing bad advice. Wrong target man!

But as we know, in Malaysia and in Malay politics, the shadow-play-like manoeuvres and are even more sophisticated and convoluted than the Machiavellian sex-cum-assassination politics of the Italian Borgias.

Syed Hamid was chosen by you-know-who only as a surrogate target, a sort of ricochet post to deflect you-know-who’s verbal bullets, to strike at a different you-know-who and his (the 2nd one) you-know-who’syou-know-who (a 3rd one).

Crumbs, I might just have lost track of who is you-know-who? Hmmm, maybe with my KTemoc-speak, I may even qualify for UMNO honorary membership.

He said: “The practice of a government taking different actions from time to time is normal, it is not something extraordinary. It does not mean we have failed to see specific issues.”

“I think we have to accept the fact that when there is a change in leadership, the current leadership will take different actions and make different decisions than its predecessor. This does not mean he (the new leader) is doing something just to satisfy himself.”

Of course not – everyone in Malaysia knows that, and who’s pleasing who.

Continuing, he stated: “It is not necessary for everyone to agree with the government and Dr Mahathir as the former prime minister has the right to disagree and provide a different interpretation (on the issue).”

As if you can stop him?

“I think these arguments and views will continue but the question is the government sees that it has made (a decision) in the best interest of the people and for the good of Malaysia.”

Hmmm?

“We did not pawn the interest or the sovereignty of the nation. What is important, is that we stop bickering with each other.”

“We made a decision based on certain factors. After that, there are those who disagree and even if they disagree, they should raise sentiments that can ruin the unity of the country."

So the Malaysian government has one too – “unity of the country”, which of course for the past 50 years we have witnessed every conceivable official action to prevent this.

Then he grudgingly admitted: “We cannot stop anyone from raising their arguments and views, especially if that person has a standing in society, is much respected and regarded highly among the people.”

What about the ordinary member of the public?

They get chemical-laced water shots or Hotel Kamunting or UMNO Youth mobs?

Even though Thailand’s PM Thaksin Shinawatra won his second landslide election some years ago, he decided to call a fresh election this month when he still had more than a year to go before the parliamentary term runs out in 2007. He had hope that a fresh (3rd) mandate would put to rest the opposition organised street campaign protesting against his alleged corruption and abuse of power.

Thaksin had sold his family business for a multi-billion dollar fortune but because of existing tax laws, he avoided paying any or much tax. Minimising taxation by clever use of existing tax laws is not illegal, and is similarly exploited elsewhere in countries like Australia too. Some years ago Australians were shocked to learn that the late Kerry Packer, Australia’s richest man, paid very little tax. Packer commented to Australian senators in a parliamentary hearing: "Of course I am minimising my tax. And if anybody in this country doesn't minimise their tax, they want their heads read, because as a government, I can tell you you're not spending it that well that we should be donating extra!"

However, with the Thai opposition cleverly blackening Thaksin's name and insinuating he abused his powers to avoid taxation on the humongous sale, and then appealing to the people’s jingoistic feelings because Thaksin had sold the Thai communication giant conglomerate to a foreign concern (Singapore), they were able to galvanise a hugh and persistent campaign of protest. One of their tactics was to boycott the election.

Predictably Thaksin won the election, and would still have even if the opposition had participated. The opposition has been aware that Thaksin is actually very popular with the rural people, especially those in the NW of the country. His party virtually swept up most of the seats.

But the opposition had once again cleverly exploited Thailand’s election rules, which snookered Thaksin despite another landslide victory. Thai Parliament may only convene if all electoral constituencies have elected their representatives. But no person, even if unopposed, may be elected unless he or she has obtained at least 20% of the votes.

The combined opposition, by boycotting the elections in a very effective way, has ensured some seats didn’t have any representatives. It has been this rule that had prevented Thaksin from forming a new government even though by Westminster rules, he won the election fair and square. But Thai election rules aren’t Westminster rules.

The dilemma for Thailand is that parliament must convene within 30 days of an election, with the deadline of May 2. So there was a standoff.

In an attempt to overcome the impasse Thaksin handed over day-to-day power to a deputy and said he would not be a candidate for the job when parliament does meet. That did not satisfy the opposition, which said any successor would be controlled by Thaksin and insisted on political reforms before they would run in elections. So he resigned with many sceptics swearing he’s still manipulating the political government from behind-the-scenes - which of course he still is, what do you expect?

There was an appeal to the highly respected King to intervene. The constitutional Head of State had only intervened once in 1992 in order to end a bloody confrontation between public protesters and a military government. But now the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej refused to, stating that it’s the job of the Thai courts.

The chief judges of the three main courts decided that all they could do was to rule swiftly on cases involving the inconclusive snap April 2 general election. To forestall Thaksin’s party winning in the 14 seats still unrepresented, opposition parties asked for an immediate injunction to halt any by-elections.

But if the court granted the requested injunction, those seats could not be filled by May 2 and parliament could not convene because the constitution says it must be complete before it can do so. So the constitutional stalemate would continue, which means the Thai Rak Thai (Thaksin's party) would continue as the caretaker government.

The alternative was for the courts to nullify the April 2 poll so that fresh elections may be held. The three parties and Thai Rak Thai said they would take part in a fresh general election. But this would mean that the three main opposition parties would have to drop their insistence on political reforms before they contest elections.

A new election just suits Thaksin fine, because he said a fresh election means rules have changed since his resignation, and he will want to participate. His promised comeback has upset the opposition parties but what the hell can they do if the court rules for another election? Other than of course more protests.

Friday, April 28, 2006

I am sorry to hear that well known Malaysian international journalist MGG Pillai passed away this morning at the University Hospital due to heart complications. The veteran newsperson was 67 years old.

Malaysiakini informed us that Pillai began his career in journalism in the 1960s. He had served as a war correspondent during the Vietnam War. I think it was just last year that I read his article reminiscing on an aspect of his Vietnam experience. He also had the distinction of being expelled from big-brother Singapore for his reporting while he was stationed in the city-state. That means he must have hit Lee Kuan Yew right where it would have hurt. Subseqently Pillai joined the Malay Mail.

Pillai had pioneered online journalism in Malaysia for the past 10 years. He was the prime mover behind the launch of discussion group Sangkancil in 1995 - Malaysia's first online community - and more recently his own website MGGPillai.com I find the last a delightful source of Malaysian political titbits.

Indeed KTemoc has read a number of Pillai’s articles, and while not agreeing with some of them, did enjoy those that he dragged out of the past to regale and dazzle us. His comprehensive and intimate knowledge of earlier Malaysian politics was a wonderful goldmine for a new blogger like yours truly.

I had on occasions read some articles that he wrote for PAS Harakah and a pro PKR website. I suspect those were commissioned articles with the obvious required ‘customer satisfaction’. I must admit making fun of some of those ‘customised’ articles in my blogging, mostly over at BolehTalk.

Those contrasted so vastly from his independent articles, the latter of which I would usually compliment with a “Pillai writes best when he writes for himself”. I have been impressed by his vast background knowledge on what he was writing on and his incisive analysis on the inter-related factors.

Malaysia has lost an experienced journalist, a wonderful repository of Malaysian political-historical knowledge and a great son. But you may bet MGG Pillai would be still using his notepad and interviewing citizens of the new frontiers that he has left us for. Good on you Pillai!

Not exactly breaking news but isn’t it great that our elected representatives have been up to entertainment mode again!

Abdul Fatah Harun, the honourable PAS member for Rautau Panjang told parliament “If we see women who don’t have husbands and are divorced not because their husbands are dead, (it must be because) they are ‘gatal sikit’”

The Malaysian word ‘gatal sikit’ literally means ‘a little itchy’ but really is an euphemism for being lustful.

When a swarm of protestors - hehehe were you expecting hornets? – bollocked him, he qualified himself with “I said most women. I didn’t say all women. Most of the women who have divorced are gatal.”

Well, that explains! It’s only most women, not all women. Thank God!

While there were protestations and angry response from many MPs, the most outstanding one came from Tan Lian Hoe (BN-Bukit Gantang) who yelled at him:

“You said women are gatal. Why don’t you say men who have divorced are also gatal? Why don’t you said they are miang? (euphemism for lustful male) If you are a gentleman, you have to withdraw that remark which is humiliating to women.”

Of course Minister Sharizat [also famous for her marvellous ability to belakang pusing (180 degrees about turn) in the recent Islamic Family Law legislation] took the opportunity to strike at PAS. She said: “I think only men from one particular party are like that [...] I urge the head of your party come to see me so I can teach you how to respect women.”

Before he takes up your challenge, Minister, don’t you dare wear lipstick!

Anyway, an unrepentant Abdul Fatah, when ordered by the acting speaker to withdraw the word, grudgingly did so but said: “I only withdraw the word (gatal). But not the fact (as I have said).”

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang issued a damage-control statement, declaring that the gatal remarks of the honourable(?) member for Rantau Panjang did not represent the views of the party. He ordered Abdul Fatah Harun to withdraw the remarks. He said:

Do you still remember what the government, in particular PM Abdullah Badawi, promise us what he would do with the savings of RM4.4 billion, to help us cope with the fuel price increase?

Do you still remember his promise to invest the money into improved public transportation so that we could save on travelling?

Do you still remember the outpouring of public suggestions on how and where his government ought to invest into the promised transportation infrastructure?

Do you then remember subsequently how thin-skinned PM Abdullah Badawi told us to stop questioning him about he would use the RM4.4 billion, and to trust his decision and actions?

Well, I have news for all of you!

PM Abdullah Badawi has juts informed us the RM4.4 billion gain from the cut in the fuel subsidy has been wiped out by higher global oil prices. Yes, the multi-billion savings is ALL GONE!

So what’s his plan to improve the transportation infrastructure to help us enjoy savings on transportation and general travelling?

Well, he has just announced that improvements to the country’s public transportation system will now have to be done via private finance initiatives (PFI) because the RM4.4 billion is no more. He stated: “PFIs will be used to improve public transport as this way has a better chance.”

As before, under a PFI, the Government will pay rent (that means you!) for the use of a facility or project over a long period of time. With the usual guarantee of rental income from the Government, banks will be more willing to bankroll such projects taken up by the private sector. And of course, cronies will reap heaps too!

And isn’t it just wonderful that under his Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP), his government had identified RM20 billion worth of PFI projects to go along with the RM200 billion it would spend. Lots of lollies.

But we all know such new roads (or rails) mean more road tolls (or rail tickets). So PM Abdullah Badawi’s promise to help us save on transportation cost is to provide us with more pay-toll booths.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Yesterday I read in the New Straits Times about a teacher in a secondary school in southern Johor forcing 13-year-old students to watch a pornographic video as a punishment for failing to do their homework. He ordered the students into the school's audiovisual room, closed the curtains and told them to watch the porn movie.

What had caught my eye was not just that it was an unusual punishment but more strikingly, the 10 students were of both sexes. Today I searched unsuccessfully for the article in both New Straits Times and the Star Online, but after some googling I finally found it in a South African newspaper.

Well, Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was livid with rage about the incident, and swore to punish the teacher severely if the alleged incident is discovered to be true. He ordered an investigation into the incident.

He said: "If there is concrete evidence of misconduct, we will not hesitate to mete out the appropriate punishment, including the sack."

Hishamuddin said that there is no room in the education service for teachers who resorted to such immoral forms of punishment.

Assuming for one instant that the allegations have been true, KTemoc believes it’s more than merely resorting to what the minister termed as immoral forms of punishment. I see more sinister motives behind such an action. When female students are involved, there could well be a grubby intention to expose one or even more of them to such graphic lewd sexual scenes to stimulate, excite and certainly corrupt young minds, perhaps to prepare them for easier seduction.

It’s OK for adults to see what they like but to deliberately involve young 13-year old female students in the viewing of a porn movie smacked of the doing of a sexual predator.

I am glad that the teacher’s name has not been mentioned because if it has not been true, then he won’t be unfairly penalised or shamed. But if it’s true, the Education Ministry must look into the incident as a possible case of sexual predation, and not just a weird immoral punishment by a gungho teacher.

The bloke who accompanied Matthias Chang in the latter’s nuclear strik … eh … I mean ... press conference was former Bar president Zainur Zakaria. After Chang had flung his nuke devices around, Zainur said some interesting stuff.

He declared that Malaysians have an intrinsic right to know the facts behind the government’s decision to scrap the bridge project. The government owes the people an explanation on why it has abandoned the construction.

zainur zakaria - malaysiakini photo

I agree. Whether the bridge was a bad idea or otherwise, and let’s put our dislike of Mahathir aside for a moment and ask, what the hell has been going on? As I have blogged from the very start, the 'sand and airspace' reasons, though emotional to many Malaysians dreading an intrusive Sinagpore into our domain, are just not plausible.

We also shouldn't be like automated robots and declare that just because the PM abandoned Mahathir’ project that decision must be good. It insults our intelligence to resort to a simplistic argument that because Mahathir = bad, therefore anti-Mahathir = good!

Zainur said: “We want to know the truth. We want to know the facts. If the government claims that it was done in the interest of the people, then the people have the right to be given the correct information. Otherwise, don’t claim it is the people’s decision [sand and airspace issues as claimed by PM AAB] because we can’t make decision in ignorance.”

“They [government] are not even prepared to expose the true facts. You cannot claim that it is the decision of the people when we don’t even know what the facts are. How can you say the people have decided? When did they ask the people to decide? When were the facts put before the people? How can we ever give a consensus when we don’t know the facts?”

“The fact remains that the people have a right to know the true reasons why the bridge is not going to be built.”

Indeed, and he asked pointedly where were the government’s claims of transparency? He cried shame on the mainstream media for not questioning that abrupt turnabout decision but instead obsequiously supported whatever the government did. He also complained he wrote a letter to the newspapers which wasn’t published. He asked why the newspapers didn’t see it fit to publish “a simple letter asking for the true facts behind the reason why the bridge project will not proceed”.

Maybe facts could be embarrassing and not meant for plebeians like us.

KTemoc reckons part of the problem, which the PM cashed in on, has been the Mahathir factor. Some years ago, in the same manner that Mahathir was so disliked, the majority of Malaysian public blindly supported Anwar Ibrahim and his call for a reformation movement, despite the very fact that Anwar had been the deputy president of UMNO and deputy PM for years, right up there at the very top beside Dr Mahathir. Again the unfortunate formula was the emotionally-blind argument of Mahathir = bad, therefore anti-Mahathir = good!

Indeed Zainur asked everyone, especially the press: “If you complain about the past leadership, then what’s the difference with the new one? It’s only a different set of people taking over the media now. They are there to cater for the interests of certain people now in power. And we, the people, have been waiting a long time to see some improvements. But it’s not happening, we don’t see anything yet.”

And he even has something for wannabe 'elder statesman' Anwar Ibrahim. He said the ex-deputy premier had also claimed to have been helpless to make changes while in government.

Addressing Anwar he asked: “But look, you were there (in government) for 16 years. Then, what were you doing all those years? What did you actually do when you claimed you couldn’t do anything?”

Zainur then showed Anwar the honourable example.

“(Former deputy premier) Musa Hitam resigned on a matter of principle because he couldn’t agree with Mahathir. If Anwar doesn’t agree with Mahathir, why didn't he resign?”

He stated that the option to quit the cabinet could be taken by any member of the cabinet if they disagree with a decision. Therefore Anwar Ibrahim cannot simply shrug off his participation and responsibility in the old Mahathir cabinet. In fact, I would say that every time Anwar condemns Mahathir, he cuts off a slice of his own nose.

After vaporising Syed Hamid into radioactive waste, Matthias Chang turned his wrath on the Singaporeans.

Chang cited a letter on former Senior Minister (and current Minister Mentor) Lee Kuan Yew’s recollection of eight ‘agreed items’ with Mahathir in August 2000 at Putrajaya. Chang, or rather the news item didn't exactly specify what those 8 items were, but I suspect they could well be bridge, water, sand, airspace, Malaysian government's land in Singapore, CPF, etc. Chang claimed Singapore had used these to push for a binding agreement on water.

malaysiakini photo

Chang demanded that Lee, former Singapore premier Goh Chok Tong and both foreign ministers explain the document. He said: “I’ll show to you the craftiness and the insidious method of presenting evidence by Lee and the Singapore government. (But) we will take the bull by its horns. We will use their same document to expose their lies to show their selectiveness in what to agree and what not to.”

“It is the height of arrogance to do what they did to Malaysia, and it is the height of incompetence on our part to let them unilaterally revoke the agreement and then say it is the right decision, and that we’re protecting our sovereignty.”

Yes, we all know Singapore has always been arrogant towards relatively slower Malaysia - that's in the nature of the beast. But perhaps there were more to it than just plain incompetence on our part. Maybe we were willing captives or willing partners or even willing initiators [of the 'desired' fiasco]?

Chang then brought out the sneakiness of Singapore in outfoxing Malaysia by quietly slipping in a “package” approach when both had earlier agreed on discussing water, airspace, CPF, bridge and KTM [Malayan Rails] land separately.

He accused Singapore of taking advantage (of a dozy Malaysian government) and said: “The bridge was never an issue. Singapore’s flip-flop over the bilateral agreement is merely to drag the other outstanding issues into the negotiation. I want to know why the [Malaysian] government had agreed to incorporate airspace and sand into the negotiation and thus get entrapped in a limited package approach?”

Maybe KTemoc can provide my conspiracy theory? Yes Please?

As I have said before, KTemoc suspects that someone [not Najib] on the Malaysian side whispered to the Singaporeans to raise the “package” approach, involving sand and airspace, to stir Malaysian emotions about a kiasu grabbing grubby greedy Singapore.

Just like the Arabs were led by their nose into the caricature bait, resulting in the desired antagonism of the Europeans to the financial disadvantage of the Palestinians, we were led by our nose into a provocative deadlock, providing the excuse for the Malaysian government (or at least an interested faction of it) to call off the bridge construction. The excuse used of course was the emotional ‘sand and airspace’ issues which, as agreed by two successive Singapore PMs, were never to be a “package” solution together with the bridge.

Could we just put aside our personal dislike for Dr Mahathir, not let it cloud our logical thinking, and ask whether such a possibility would be plausible?

Chang said that when Singapore commenced the negotiation on its usual song-and-dance routine, why did Syed Hamid bother to drag on with the negotiations – even more puzzling when one cosiders that Goh Chok Tong’s letters, agreeing to Malaysia building the bridge, were all along available in Malaysian hands.

Chang again accused Singapore: “It’s purpose was to scuttle all prior agreements and understanding, throw the spanner in the works and then make outlandish demands to try by the backdoor to introduce extraneous factors to link the bridge issue with intractable issues like airspace. Sand was a totally new issue.”

Chang took us back to 2001 when he noted that Singapore had not raised the possibility of disconnecting the water supply to divert the pipes for the bridge as a security issue. So why was there talk of water as a Singaporean casus belli (reason for war)?

He asked “How come out of the blue, all these problems are coming out now? This, they have failed to explain.”

“They can unilaterally hantam (whack) us and revoke a prior agreement but we can’t. Singapore has the freedom and legitimacy to run circles around Malaysia and make fools out of us.”

KTemoc again offers his theory, that the Singaporeans were possibly advised or more likely, requested by someone, whom the Singaporeans saw as a strategic partner to their advantage. So, could it be that the Singaporeans only played ball with a eye into the future where they see they could subsequently cash in on someone’s gratitude? Maybe I better write the sequel to the Da Vinci code – you know which one!

Then he put the extra megaton kick in his ballistic missile by stating sarcastically: “What is worse, our negotiating team is at pains to justify Singapore’s position and appeal to us, the citizens to appreciate the sensitivities involved. We must keep on giving while Singapore is at liberty to keep on asking.”

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Can you ever imagine a father bonking his own daughter? You can’t? Well, how about worse - Can you picture a father bonking his daughter who’s only 5?

Just the thought of such unimaginable horrendous incest would make you puke with sheer revolt. My skin crawled in utter disgust.

But those unbelievable nightmares happened in real life when two fathers (f**k them, they ain't 'fathers' - how could they be?) from Trengganu allegedly raped their underage daughters in separate incidents, resulting in one of the victims giving birth to a baby boy. They were arrested.

In the first case the animal raped his 12-year old kid four times since July last year in a house in Dungun. The victim revealed all to her mother only after giving birth a week ago. The beast is an unemployed 39-year old man.

In the other case, the slimy slug was worse, raping his daughter since she was 5 - that's a horrendous 7 years ago. The kid wrote about her incestuous abuse in a letter to her teacher who didn’t, just couldn’t believe her initially. She told her teacher she wanted to run away from home due to personal problems, which the teacher ignored, thinking perhaps she was seeking attention.

However, when she wrote a second letter last week stating she was raped, the teacher took her to the police to make a report. The 40+ year old suspect, a carpenter, has since been detained.

Police said both suspects were detained under Section 376B of the Penal Code for incest, which offence carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and whipping on conviction. I would like to see them castrated, slowly, with a blunt saw.

Matthias Chang, former press secretary of Dr Mahathir, told foreign minister Syed Hamid not to threaten him with the Official Secrets Act (OSA) of 1972. I haven’t read the part where Syed Hamid threatened Chang but it seems the foreign minister would have for Chang to bounce back a la jaguh (local fighting cock or champion).

Chang said the government should stop bullsh*tting about state secrets to evade explaining the reasons for dumping the scenic bridge project. In other words, Chang is saying too that the ‘sand and airspace’ reasons given by the PM was nonsense, because the real reasons haven’t yet emerged.

This is dangerous talk for a non-opposition Chinese, even though he had previously exempted PM Abdullah Badawi from blame on the basis the poor PM was badly advised. Hey man, any Chinaman's daring - except those from the DAP who are already nerve-dead due to experiencing the delights of Hotel Kamunting and Malacca prison - leads even innocent naïve me to suspect Chang must have an ‘umbrella’ over his tough talking. But then one could argue bloody ole KTemoc is a conspiracy theory fan – hmmm, I have to admit that indeed I am ;-)

Chang gave his reason why the government had been misinforming the Malaysian public about state secrets because Singapore had already released classified Malaysian documents in its book "Water Talks? If Only It Could" published more than 2 years ago, which revealed details of the bilateral negotiations.

Chang said: “Singapore has published classified documents from our side, the whole thing is no longer under OSA. The government should publish all and tell the rakyat [people] the truth.”

“No more excuses. Be transparent. Be accountable. And be responsible. After this, it is up to the rakyat and others to take the matter further to reach the truth.”

In a related incident, late Monday night, Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-At-Large Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak issued a statement to the Malaysian press agency Bernama on the bridge project but for some unexplainable reason, unless it was to prevent its publication in the media, his statement was embargoed until 1 am. Embargo-ed means someone had wanted to optimise a political edge by the late release, which further fans KTemoc's conspiracy theory - hehehe!

“I want to make that very clear. It confirmed everything I said and cited the same documents. It confirms my stand that we’re no longer bound by the OSA because Wisma Putra has brought these documents into the public domain.”

Looks like Dr Mahathir won’t be charged under the OSA afterall. I know some of you may be deeply disappointed but surely you weren't expecting that to happen, were you?

Chang lambasted the media for their disservice in remaining like mutes - the old "act dunno" - and thus shortchanging the poor public who remain confused over the project. But since when has our mainstream media acted otherwise? He demanded for key points of the bridge fiasco to be highlighted as presented by other than UMNO ministers.

Stand by for more tactical nuclear strikes - I am preparing more postings on Matthias Chang enriched-uranium revelations. The USA, Israel and Iran have to wait until our mushroom clouds have dissipated.

The PM declared he wasn’t going to just spend and build and get the construction sector going by dishing out government projects and leave behind a debt burden or contingent liabilities for future generations.

Jolly good. Does that mean the PM will now cancel the PORR project in Penang? But I won’t hold my breath waiting for him to do so.

We all know his words are meant to neutralize Dr Mahathir’s very recent criticism of his unexplainable retreat from the bridge construction, even though the PM claimed his government practices an “openness” policy. But I haven’t seen any “openness” thus far. Everything has been shrouded in secrecy enhanced with a dose of chemical laced water, even in his remarks about ‘Little Napoleons’. Why didn’t he reveal all or sack those blighters?

Today the New Straits Times (NST) attempts to shore up his bridge decision in its publishing of an explanation by Foreign Affairs ambassador-at-large Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak. Nothing new there, except the trotting out of the same old story of 'sand and airspace' issues - a story meant for the UMNO or Malay heartland. The NST even published an edited version of Dr Mahathir's side of the story to show its 'fairness'. But for Dr Mahathir's unedited version read the Gerbang Tempur Maya website or Malaysiakini.

As for popularity, what about the policewomen tudung issue? If his decision to support the IGP’s directive for non-Muslim women to wear the tudung on formal parade was not to ensure his popularity with the Malay heartland and the conservative Muslim sector, what was it?

Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang added a few missiles of his own into the Mahathir WMD attack. He asked foreign minister Syed Hamid whether the former PM had breached the Official Secrets Act (OSA) in revealing correspondence and various negotiating issues on the scenic bridge in his 7-page open letter to Kelab Maya UMNO?

If so, he asked whether the Malaysian government intend to arrest and trial the ole man? I am sure many would like to see that, especially Anwar Ibrahim.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there are those who would say, “Hey, he had a dose of his own medicine of being blacked out by the media; why not go the full hog and put him behind bars.”

But Dr Mahathir isn’t your ordinary bloke, with probably a considerable segment of support in UMNO. Besides, what he has revealed thus far, while self-serving or serving the (international) legal grounds for the bridge construction, point towards the usual cabinet misinformation to the public.

In democracy, it’s called misleading the public which calls for political sepukku (honourable suicide, or in political terms, resignation). Unfortunately in Malaysian politics, there’s no honour!

Then Lim said that if Dr Mahathir won’t be prosecuted for breach of the OSA, the entire range of documents relating to the negotiations should be declassified.

“From the start, I knew you had malicious intent. I don’t think Tun Mahathir had any (such) intentions (when he raised the issue). It’s an opinion. We just have different opinions. You have always been against the OSA, but now you want to use the OSA ...?”

Yeah, but what about Dr Mahathir's release of hitherto classified cabinet papers? Can they be declassified and released to public scrutiny?

Syed Hamid then said wonderful stuff about Dr Mahathir blah blah blah, and took what he thought would be the high road by adding:

“(Don’t) try to attack someone who is no longer a parliamentarian and who is unable to rebut your allegations here.”

Now, we all know Dr Mahathir has a weakness which is his soft spot for bodek-ing (sycophantic coo-ings). Syed Hamid’s sterling performance may yet win him a pat or two from the Tun.

Earlier, Syed Hamid had virtually lobbed the ball into PM Abdullah Badawi’s court on the abandonment of the bridge by stating:

“This is not a personal decision of any cabinet member, but a decision of the government. So whether a person is responsible or not should not arise.”

Bullshit! Someone or the entire cabinet has to be responsible. But that's the whole problem with the Malaysian government. No one in government is ever responsible. Especially not the cabinet!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

When Dr Mahathir wanted to continue his attack on the cabinet for caving in to Singapore on the bridge issue, or rather, as KTemoc suspects, having an ultra secret agenda related to a silent UMNO internecine struggle, he found himself “blacked out” – yes, the former PM was “blacked out” by the government controlled or linked mainstream press.

He had to resort to cyberspace, to a pro-Umno website called Kelab Maya Umno, to publish his 7-page letter about the affairs surrounding the scenic bridge. Also, thanks to his farsighted MMC concept and its ensuing policies, there is good ole Malaysiakini ready to publish his side of the ongoing "A Bridge Too Far" saga.

Some of us may be unkind and say “Tough shit, he deserves a taste of his own medicine” in being blacked out, but let’s see what he has to say about the personalities surrounding the bridge decisions. Let’s examine his WMD or ‘Words of Massive Denunciation’.

Mahathir is obviously still pissed off with Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s action in aborting the bridge construction. The doctor criticised the PM’s explanation for the decision - initially as negative public sentiments over Singapore’s demand for the sale of sand and the use of airspace, and subsequently, as the legal implications involving the building of the half-bridge.

KTemoc agrees with Dr Mahathir’s criticism on the nonsense about sand and airspace. I have posted at least a couple of times that these were not issues at all, so the PM’s explanation was pretty pathetic, and seen as pulling wool over the public’s eyes, or say I say, Malay public’s eyes (others really didn’t matter) because he thought an appeal to their dislike of predominantly-Chinese kiasu greedy grotty grabbing Singapore could well do the trick!

The PM’s subsequently trotted out the explanation of legal issue when he realised that people would see sand as sand, a commercial issue which would be a case of either sell or not sell, and airspace as a non-negotiable sovereign issue where military flights were concerned, both items at Malaysia's wish to accord or deny.

Unfortunately for him, the legal explanation was nicely demolished by Dr Mahathir’s former (Chinese) press secretary, Matthias Chang who revealed letters from former Singaporean PM, Goh Chok Tong agreeing to the construction of the bridge.

Then the PM turned towards muzzling his cabinet, probably the chief target being an extremely unhappy DPM Najib, but also to restrain foreign minister Syed Hamid who did immaculate military parade drills of 180 degrees belakang pusing (about-turn) after the PM asserted the cabinet decision to cancel the bridge construction was “unanimous”. Can’t do to have cabinet members breaking ranks and undermining his assertion.

It’s a long 7-page letter Dr Mahathir wrote so feel free to look it up at the Gerbang Tempur Maya website or Malaysiakini – unfortunately the latter requires paid subscription and the article is too long for me to cut/paste on my blog. What I’ll do is to summarise it in a few paragraphs under two points, a blast against the Malaysian cabinet and another against Lee Kuan Yew.

(1) First, Dr Mahathir reiterated that the government had failed to defend the nation’s sovereignty. BTW, he sent his letter to all members of parliament as well as UMNO leaders. I wonder whether he extended a copy to Anwar Ibrahim, a former member (in fact Deputy President) of UMNO? He grumbled his views have been blacked out. He said the government’s decision had caused losses amounting to billions of public monies.

Well, it's true that there's the white elephant CIQ which cost RM1.266 billion - not exactly chicken feed. So why build the CIQ when the bridge was to be abandoned? This convinces KTemoc that the bridge will be resurrected once the objective of the "temporary" abandonment has been achieved. Besides, if you recall in my previous posting A Bridge Too Far - Anwar Ibrahim, Anwar Ibrahim has offered his expertise to the government to negotiate with Singapore on the bridge issue. So, could it be that someone had told Anwar the bridge is still on, but just put off for a while for tactical reasons? Could it be the Singapore government also know this? On this, see my posting A Bridge Too Far - Not bridge that's crooked.

Mahathir in an outright attack on his successor’s administration, said: “Don’t put words into the people’s mouths, just because you are afraid of protecting the rights and sovereignty of the country and the people.” Obviously this was in reference to PM Abdullah Badawi’s claim of the untenable sand and airspace factors.

“Singapore enjoys publishing letters between its leaders and Malaysian leaders with the intention of proving that it is on the right side. The Malaysian government now believes that the problem will be resolved by itself without the need to dispute Singapore’s campaign to twist the facts. But this is just wishful thinking.”

He then denounced LKY’s style of having one-on-one meetings, called “four-eyed meetings” by the Singaporean elder statesman, without any complete agenda or for that matter, any recording of what transpired at the meeting, and then stating what had transpired in his letter to a third party as if what he wrote was what had been agreed. Mahathir accused LKY of not caring whether his personal and unverified recordings of what was discussed in the meetings were accurate.

I seem to recall reading LKY crooning about his “four-eyed meeting” with former Indonesian President Suharto in LKY’s autobiography, so there would be an element of truth in Dr Mahathir’s claim, well, at least in LKY's caliing one-on-one discussion as "4-eyed meetings".

Mahathir said: “His (Lee) assumptions are his alone, nothing more and nothing less. Statements made at a press conference by one party without the sanction of the other party is also not valid.”

Absolutely!

Dr Mahathir continued: “His actions to publish the letters as proof that I had agreed has no meaning whatsoever. Only if I had replied the letter and verified certain facts, then the relevant issues can be considered true. But whether it is valid and binding on us depends on an official verification and agreement from both parties.”

Mahathir then dismissed LKY’s statements about the bridge and referred to former Singapore premier Goh Chok Tong’s official letter dated Oct 14, 2002 as written and valid evidence. Apart from this, he crushed LKY’s other waffling arguments piece by piece. Certainly Dr Mahathir can give as good as he takes. His WMDs must have created shock and awe amongst some cabinet members, not least his successor.

I love seeing movies such as Silence of the Lambs, Seven and others with a serial killer genre. Invariably one picks up a few pointers about the profile of serial killers, most of whom in America would be white, male, age between 20 to 45, blah blah blah. Note the important qualification ‘most’, meaning there could and would be exceptions.

Indeed, we then read of a woman serial killer. Then there was also a Latino, a South American – he killed almost a hundred children. We have also read of the British house of horrors, where a husband and wife team murdered dozens after the former sexually abused them. Those two sickos buried the victims in the house basement. The crime scene was so horrendous that British police obtained a court order to raze the house to nothing-ness, and forbid the land from being ever developed. I wonder whether that would be mainly to prevent a cult or copycat killers exploiting the ‘unholy grounds’ to indulge in further atrocities.

Now, we get a Chinese woman in China, in the northern Henan province, who has murdered 8 people by drugging them first, then feeding them with pesticides.

55-year old Jia Dezhi, who is uneducated yet devious, confessed to the killings after six bodies were found buried in the courtyard of her home in Anyang city. She cold bloodedly told police:

"I killed the adults for the money, it made the selling of their children less bothersome. Killing a person is really easy. First put some narcotic in their food, wait until they faint and then feed them some pesticide and it's finished. Killing a person is no different than killing a chicken.”

... no different than killing a chicken?Holy Moses and the Archangel Uriel, or rather Kali Ma and the Sumerian demon Pazuzu - I just wonder who was her boyfriend when she was a young woman. Better trace for missing male person or persons.

Six of her victims, including her former husband and friends [what did I tell you!], were from her hometown of Muxiang in southwestern Yunnan province. The murders took place within 7 months, between February and September last year. Jia claimed she earned up to 15,000 yuan (RM7500) from the sale of a child. She had sold six boys and a girl. The news didn't mention who the children were sold to and where they now are.

I wonder whether her commercial motive would disqualify her as one of those weirdo serial killers, who kill for pleasure or to fulfil some sick needs in their demented minds yet wanting to be caught, leaving clues here and there.

I have to admit reading her words uttered in such a callous unfeeling chilling manner has shrunk my gonads somewhat.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Late last year in my posting Virginity in Tamilnadu Vital to Tamil-hood, I lamented how Indian male chauvinism resulted in actress Kushboo being slapped with 28 charges for trial in an Indian court, all because she had the guts to say what was obvious, namely, men should no longer expect their brides to be virgins (virgins? what's that?).As a followup to that Tamilnadu virginity issue I posted The High Altar of Virginity for discussion about society''s attitude towards that piece of female tissue called the hymen.Kushboo had also provided damn good advice to youngsters to use protection when indulging in premarital sex, because of the danger of contacting AIDS. But uh uh, nice Indian ladies couldn't be permitted to talk about premarital sex, even when reality tells us every Indian young male wants to bonk away a.s.a.p.

kushboo - from www.DesiBoyZMasala.com

Journalist Swati Das of the Times of India said:

“Anywhere else, Khushboo would have been called an anti-AIDS spokesperson and perhaps even feted, but not Tamil Nadu with its insular politics and blinkered politicians.”

“It was almost as if the state was being guided by some Taliban-type morality inspectors."

Poor Kushboo was eventually forced into humiliating backdown because of the threat of jail and possibly being barred from the movie industry.Looks like Malaysia is not so bad afterall, in a relative sense.

reema sen & shilpa shetty

Now, some more Indian Talibans to show that the Kushboo persecution was not the end of it, have now accused actresses Shilpa Shetty and Reema Sen for 'posing in an obscene manner' in photographs published in a Tamil evening newspaper.

shilpa shetty

The local court in Madurai issued non-bailable warrants against the two beautiful actresses, resulting from a mere petition filed by one Dhakshinamoorthy, an advocate in Madurai. The judge had earlier ordered the actresses to appear before him on March 10. The 2 actresses didn't turn up, hence non-bailable warrants were issued.

reema sen

This Dhakshinamoorthy character said the actresses' photos violatedthe Indecent Representation of Women (prohibition) Act and Young Persons Harmful Publications Act and IPC Sec 292 (sale of obscene books).What a nasty bloke who probably got f**k-all else to do. Unfortunately India and in particular Tamilnadu has a notoriety for ultra male chauvinism of the nastiest order. A lawyer was once reported as saying he wanted to slap actress Kushboo for having the bloody nerve to talk about the loss of virginity.Perhaps this may explained why in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, its heroine Draupadi who was married to the 5 Pandavas brothers, all at the same time, became a virgin each successive night for each of the bridegrooms - by divine intervention of course, an amazing gynaecological feat equalled by Japanese surgeons today who promise adventurous Japanese ladies the restoration of their maidenly virtues. It's just as well author Valkimi Vyasa* wrote the story as such or he would have been hauled in for execution several thousands ago.* corrected on advice from visitor 'Unknown'

shilpa shetty

Actress Shilpa’s spokesperson claimed she was unavailable for comment because she is out of the country, travelling to New York, where she is attending a Bangladeshi convention. He said Shilpa had not received any court notice, summons or warrant. She had heard of the case only from the media, and her lawyer would respond after she receives the notice.

shilpa shetty

He also said the photograph in question was a freeze-frame shot from a Kannada film called Auto Shankar that Shilpa starred in. The picture had been used on publicity hoardings, and the Tamil evening newspaper in question had reproduced it.

al Qaeda experts believed that Osama bin Laden is seeking a new operating ground in Sudan, as it previously did in Afghanistan. They made this prediction following Osama’s latest tape that has been released to and aired by al Jazeera television. American intelligence experts believed it’s an authentic issue by the al Qaeda leader.

In the tape, Osama urged his followers to prepare for a long war against Western powers that would be intervening in Sudan's Darfur region. Osama also raised the issue of the US-Israeli sabotaging of the new Hamas Palestinian Government as evidence of a ‘Crusader-Zionist war’ on Muslims.

However, Hamas didn’t appreciate Osama’s interference into its affairs, and said that Hamas's ideology is completely different to that of bin Laden's.

KTemoc agrees. al Qaeda is a terrorist organization hellbent on anarchy and a hatred for Western interference into the Middle East. Hamas is a Palestinian (Islamic-based) organization of freedom fighters struggling for Palestinian rights and freedom from Israeli oppression. Hamas has one enemy - Israel!

However, having said that, KTemoc doesn’t agree with Hamas tactic of suicide bombings that harm Israeli civilians. In fact I condemn such terrorist tactics.

But I am also aware that terrorism has not been one sided. The Israeli government has itself conducted numerous terrorist attacks against the Palestinian people. Palestinian children had been murdered by the officially sanction Israeli slaughter.

The bias of Western media, especially American ones have consistently refused to acknowledge Israeli artillery bombardments, missile attacks and machine-gunning of crowded Palestinian settlements as terrorist attacks, euphemising the atrocities of the Jewish State as retaliatory actions. Terrorism in Palestine-Israel is the old chicken and egg story – who started it first? But most of the American media have already decided that it’s the Palestinian chook (or egg?).

Consider, the Israeli captain who pumped numerous bullets into the corpse of a dead 13-year old Palestinian girl out of racist hatred – despite so-called Israeli military inquiry and the adverse evidence (for him) by his own soldiers, he was initially only convicted of a minor dismeanour of misusing his arms and persuading his troops to lie, but subsequently cleared of all charges.

Then to add insult to injury the criminal was compensated by the Israeli government with US$15,000 for having to attend court and promoted to the rank of major.

Unfortunately the majority of western press act ‘don’t know’ [pretend to be unaware] about the typical defiant arrogant Israeli gesture of ‘no one touches an Israeli soldier, no matter how brutal he might have been.’ The Israelis know they have most of the western media in their pockets for the latter’s fear of being accused of anti-Semitism.

The American administration keeps telling people to look at Israel as the only democratically elected government in the Middle East, yet it has now conducted an unmitigated campaign of persecution to dislodge a real democratically elected Hamas, so that its favoured but corrupt Fatah, preferred by Israel, can resume the seat of authority in the Palestinian Authority.

The unnecessary interference or nose poking by Osama bin Laden into Palestinian affairs will only give further comfort to the US-Israeli sinister and unconscionable campaign against a democratically elected Palestinian government.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Like most SE Asians, I have always been enthralled by tales from the Ramayana. But not unlike the current movement to rehabilitate Judas Iscariot, some modern Ramayana scholars have questioned the true nature of the epic’s typified heroic Rama and demonic Ravana. The two chief antagonists of the Ramayana have had their roles in the saga re-evaluated.

lakshmana, rama, sita and (kneeling) hanuman - source wikipedia

What has emerged has been something that would have been previously considered as an unimaginable proposition, namely a role reversal between Rama and Ravana – that is, Rama was a cad in many ways while Ravana was a chivalrous hero of sorts. Some conservative Hindus may even take that proposition as blasphemous.

ravana - source wikipedia

The thrust of the new arguments has been along the lines of perceived Aryan or northern racism in the unfair demonization of Ravana. The proponents of these re-evaluations claim that the non-Aryan Ravana was unjustly tarred and feathered while the many sins of the Aryan Rama were conveniently overlooked and arrogantly never explained, except by modern Ramayana scholars looking for a PhD thesis. I have read one such explanation into Rama's sins and have to say it had been quite cleverly done.

Gaafar Baba, one of the nation’s political ‘originals’ passed away at Kuala Lumpur Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre. He was 81, having just celebrated his birthday a few days ago. He was the only politician to have participated in 9 consecutive general elections since 1955, winning every one of them.

His highest political position was as DPM to Dr Mahathir. But in 1993, Anwar Ibrahim, a young rising star who was parachuted into UMNO with Dr Mahathir’s blessing and as the boss’ anointed heir, took over as DPM. Gaafar Baba had then wisely saw the writing on wall and exited politics for good, giving way to Anwar.

The Solomon Islands is among a handful of Pacific island countries which recognise Taiwan rather than Beijing. Taiwan provides lots of aid, either financial or in kind, to such kacang putih (small & insignificant) nations to secure their recognition and support, just like Japan has done in similar fashion to secure support for its whaling ambition, where the International Whaling Commission now has many members from even land-locked kacang putih nations, all sponsored and aided by Nippon.

One wonders to what extent has the Solomon Islands’ non-recognition of China led to accusations by protesting native mobs, who burnt down Honiara’s Chinatown, that local Chinese had been funding new Prime Minister Snyder Rini and bribing other MPs.

The Chinese Embassy in neighbouring Papua New Guinea (PNG) had denied any Chinese involvement. I just wonder whether faraway Chinese politics had brought about the ‘other’ China playing the role of ‘batu api’ (instigator) or even providing 'intelligence'?

Anyhow, The Chinese Embassy in PNG has arranged the evacuation of 300 Chinese nationals from the Solomon Islands on chartered aircraft provided by Beijing. Those residents have been sheltering at a police club in Honiara since the recent p’ai wah (anti-Chinese pogroms) began on Tuesday.

The Chinese had to be escorted to the airport under armed guard. They are being flown to Port Moresby, capital of PNG, and then on to either Hong Kong or the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

A Chinese diplomat explained the evacuation: "How can they stay if they don't have a house, property, a business, nothing to live on? They can not stay here anymore. They have nothing. They lost everything."

However, there is another small group of Chinese, citizens of Solomon Islands for generations, who obviously won’t be evacuated by the Chinese government. Many have talked about seeking refuge in Australia or New Zealand. They have expressed their fears of staying on in the Solomon Islands.

Their population size are of kacang putih dimension which may worked in their favour, as they won't be representing those waves of Asiatic illegal migrants (yellow peril) that Australians dread. They might just stand a chance.

Finally Silvio Berlusconi has admitted defeat even though the Italian election had been obvious for the past couple of weeks, and the Italian courts had told him so in no uncertain terms just a few days ago. Prior to these two nails the judicial nail in his prime ministerial coffin, he had shamefully (thick skinned) refused to formally concede defeat in the election to his rival Romano Prodi.

It’s rumoured ;-) that the Italian prime ministerial office has claw marks and broken finger nails at its door threshold. Maybe Berlusconi ran out of finger nails in his resistance to be dragged out of the office.

Apart from being a very rich businessman, Berlusconi is quite a character, portraying during his prime ministership a red neck behaviour that has annoyed both friends and foes. Once when he couldn’t get his way in the European Union parliament, blocked by a German member, he insulted the latter by suggesting he was a German concentration camp guard, an extremely provocative slur.

A staunch supporter of US President Bush’s invasion and occupation of Iraq, very much against the general feelings of Italians, he didn’t hesitate to insult Muslims as well. Basically, his mouth spoke faster than his political or diplomatic brain.

A number of Italians have been concerned that his vast media empire in Italy had accorded him unfair advantage in his ascendancy to the No 1 political position. They were also worried that he could use his position to further his business interests.

Now, accepting he’s no longer the prime minister, he has decided to go out with a song (rather than tears) composed for the occasion. He sang at his party’s meeting:

"Let us go, leave everything behind, leave the newspapers, the TV the parties, leave those who don't want me any more."

Berlusconi, who had once worked as a crooner and pianist on cruise liners, even joked: "At least we still have a profession."

I hope that was his swan song because the world can do without a political nasty like him.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

In a nation that’s supposed to be an example of multi-racial & multi-religious tolerance and moderation, as frequently self-acclaimed by our ministers, and one just coming up to its 50th anniversary of independence, one would have thought a 100-year of Hindu temple in our country would have merited national heritage listing. Instead it was demolished against the cries of appeals by Hindu devotees.

300 devotees in the midst of their prayers at the temple had to scamper out the way of bulldozers sent in by KL city authorities to smash up the century-old Malaimel Sri Selva Kaliamman Temple at Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur. While devotees cried and begged the demolition team to stop, the bulldozers continued, ensuring the sacred building was reduced to rubble.

Compare this intolerant action of destruction to Buddhist Thailand’s efforts to preserve a Hindu temple right in the heart of an upmarket shopping mall at the Erawan Hotel in Bangkok. Despite Hindu being a minority religion, the Brahma temple was highly respected.

In a previous posting DBKL smashed statues of Hindu gods! I wrote about the ugly fate of a 60-year Hindu temple, where 40 DBKL personnel went to the temple armed with rotans and pulverised the temple deities into smithereens.

Naturally the Hindu devotees were distressed by the highly aggressive desecration, apart from discovering that temple jewellery went mysteriously missing after the smashup.

KTemoc commented that it's one thing to legally demolish a temple due to municipality building code requirements, but it's another to deliberately smash icons of worship with violence and seemingly deliberate insult. Such an act of unmitigated disrespect bespoke an attitude of religious intolerance and racial hatred. That action had exceeded all bounds of human decency and I among many called for the DBKL hooliganism to be resoundingly condemned.

Lawyer P Uthayakumar said desecrating a place of worship is a criminal offence and action must be taken. He pointed out that there was so much furore over the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) blasphemous caricatures, resulting in a number of (only non-UMNO-linked) newspapers suffering government imposed suspension for religious disrespect. But where was the expected equal government response to such a horrendous act of disrespectful blasphemy and religious hatred. Shouting out at the double standards, he stated:

“The recent caricature controversy which was deemed insulting a religion saw the government take serious action but now a temple has been broken into and there is pin-drop silence.”

The IGP, AG and Samy Vellu were all informed but like Uthayakumar said, there was pin-drop silence from them. Maybe the Hindu Gods had made them blind, deaf or dumb, like the 3 monkeys.

Then in a follow-up posting DBKL staff armed with WMD - Legal? I commented that DBKL enforcement squad went there in full force with WMD [weapons of malicious destruction] in the form of rotan canes, thus showing that they were hellbent on aggression, a conduct that was legally questionable and way outside their span of authority.

Unfortunately in Malaysia, under the UMNO-led government, authority staff, where police or civilian enforcement people like the DBKL, have frequently in their actions exceeded their authorised powers. No Malaysian state or federal or municipal authority should ever sanction or condone its enforcement staff wilfully smashing religious symbols of any religion of Malaysian citizens.

Yet the government has been deafeningly silent on the several cases of hurtful action against Hindus, in sheer contrast to any issue that seems disrespectful to Islam.

When you measure the DBKL act of wilful desecration against what Minister Nazri’s warned non-Mulsims, namely to butt out of the affairs of a religion they have very little understanding or belief in – see my posting Nazri: Non-Muslims Stay Clear or Else! - you cannot but help notice the Minister remaining silent over insensitive, intolerant and insulting behaviour by DBKL staff against another Malaysian religion.

I do wonder whether we, as unequal Malaysians (or whatever UMNO ministers think we non-Malay non-Muslim citizens are), ought or really have anything to be celebrating this year's Merdeka commemoration?

Vanessa-Mae, the Singapore-born Thai-Chinese classical-pop violinist is the wealthiest young entertainer in the UK under 30 years old, with a personal fortune of ₤32 million - btw, that's in Sterling pounds. As we can see, she certainly has lots of hyphenated stuff on her resumé.

Hmmm, I have always wanted to meet a classical musician, mind you, purely to discuss the make of her instrument and other high brow cultural stuff!

The 28-year old's Chinese name is 陈美 Chen Mei or in Penang Hokkien, Tan Bee. I would love to teach her Penang Hokkien which would then make her a complete woman but I'm not going to be too fussy over her linguistic ability, important as the Penang lingo may be ;-)

Some media people have added her English stepfather's name to her own, so nowadays she is referred to in the press as Vanessa-Mae Nicholson, and should you add her Thai name on to that it would become a delightful Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson. Yummy, I savour every delicious bit of that 10-syllable appellation.

Friday, April 21, 2006

The Cabinet has directed ambassador-at-large Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak to reply to all issues raised by various parties on the scenic bridge project.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz, who confirmed this, said the Cabinet felt that Fuzi was the best person to convey the points raised in relation to the bridge.

He said since Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar had been named by Matthias Chang, former senior aide to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the Cabinet felt it was only proper that explanations be made by those involved in the negotiations.

Fuzi, a former Foreign Ministry secretary-general, had headed the Malaysian side during five rounds of negotiations.

What this actually means is that the PM has muzzled the cabinet members, lest some accidentally or deliberately spill the beans. Obviously there is discord amongst them.

The fact that Matthias Chang had accused and challenged foreign minister Syed Hamid requires Syed Hamid himself to stand up and answer Chang’s accusations and insults. But of course we are reminded of Syed Hamid’s 180 degrees kebelakang pusing (about turn) immediately after the PM claimed that the cabinet decision to abandon the construction of the bridge was unanimous.

Then, the PM himself should respond to opposition leader Lim Kit Siang’s call for him to answer Dr Mahathir’s condemnation in which correctness of issues claimed by the government have been questioned.

But this is Boleh-land where PM Abdullah Badawi has shown he would lose patience when under persistent questioning, as had occurred in the fuel price hike issue and 9th Malaysian Plan criticisms. As the top politician he has shown a poor example by arrogantly brushing aside public questioning of his decisions. He fails to demonstrate that as an elected PM, while he does have the right to make decisions, he also has the responsibility to respond to public concerns over his decisions.

Rights and responsibilities – the inseparable twins of democratically assigned power. But in Malaysia, BN politicians have consistently demonstrated they only want rights but no responsibilities.

Note - the PM’s correct name is Abdullah while his father's is Ahmad, which in Malaysia, comes after the son's, as in Abdullah bin Ahmad or in shortened/informal form, Abdullah Ahmad (meaning Abdullah son of Ahmad), as blogger MENJ had kindly pointed out to me. As this is an old posting I will leave my mistake as it is, with a hugh apology to the PM.

Looks like the Kota Tinggi people intend to keep the interest in Big Foot going. Now they claimed a baby Big Foot has been caught ;-)

This time the tale (not Big Foot’s but those people from Kota Tinggi) tells of men from the Wildlife Department who informed some stall owners in Felda Tenggaroh that they have caught the baby Bigfoot which they would be taking to Kuala Lumpur. The hunters had camped overnight in the jungle before coming across three of the animals, including baby. They captured the baby using tranquilliser darts.

Halida Limat, a stall helper, claimed that the men did not allow her to take a look at the animal which they kept in the back of a 4WD bearing the Wildlife Department logo. Another stall owner however asserted he had a glimpse of something that was very hairy and quite big lying in the back of the vehicle.

Yeah right! Now let KTemoc tell you what actually happened:

Big Foot Dad: Well, that takes care of it.Big Foot Mum: But will they find out before they reach KL?

Big Foot Dad: Nah, they’ll be occupying themselves on the drive talking about that bridge to nowhere.Big Foot Mum: Bridge to nowhere?

Big Foot Dad: Bridges are unusual devices – they normally go to the other side. But sometimes one would seem to go nowhere, but actually somewhere when a no-one become someone. It can kill off a politician, can resurrect a ‘dead’ one …Big Foot Mum: Huh, too confusing for me, but kill? Dead one?

Big Foot Dad: Metaphorically speaking, as in kill his career or prospect of being the prime minister, and bring the ‘dead one’ back into top politics.Big Foot Mum: Who then was that human we dressed up in the furry costume? He looked so small, just like junior. And he squealed so pitifully when the dart hit him.

Big Foot Dad: Who can tell about these humans?Big Foot Mum: They have all been quiet recently.

Big Foot Dad: It's the embarrassment over the bridge. Now, what did I tell you about that bridge being unusual.Big Foot Mum: Maybe they’ll now repair the small broken bridge in Pengalan Pasir. Its state of disrepair had killed some people.

Big Foot Dad: Only when 2 conditions have been fulfilled.Big Foot Mum: Oh, what would these be?

Big Foot Dad: When a different political party has been elected in Pengkalan Pasir, and when mak yong returns to Kelantan.Big Foot Mum (snarl/frown): Why?

About Me

Just a bloke interested in the socio-political whatnots around the world, particularly those in Malaysia. Loves a laugh or/and story or two, or more, but loves civility and courtesy much more, especially in politics